Online SMSF Setup – Fixed $2,000 + GST

Setting up with SMSF Australia

Unlike many other firms we have a fixed price covering everything and sundry which doesn't make us look like the cheapest SMSF setup but are competitive when you compare with the 'add on' setups offered by others. Our holistic setup fee includes the ASIC fee for the setup of the corporate trustee of $636, legal fees for the deed and special purpose constitution for the trustee company, ATO mandated compliance documents, binding death benefit nominations, investment strategy template, specialist advisory support, ATO registrations,  your rollovers from existing funds, assistance with creating a bank account for the SMSF, along with registered office and electronic service address services for the first 12 months. This holistic SMSF Setup comes at a fixed cost of $2,000+GST per fund (regardless of the number of members) and can be reimbursed from the super fund once funds are rolled over.

SMSF Setup at a Glance

How to Set Up an SMSF: Step by Step

The steps required to complete an SMSF Setup include:

Choosing the name you would like, for example, the Cooper Super Fund. This name does not need to be unique but the ATO may choose not to register it if they feel it contains swear words or is derogatory. We do have a detailed article on exactly how to pick the perfect name for your SMSF.

Choose the name for the corporate trustee, this is the company that exists to manage the super fund. It does require a unique name and we also recommend something obvious such as Cooper SMSF Pty Ltd.

We will then provide you with a digital SMSF Setup Form to complete which will capture the personal details we need to create your new Self Managed Super Fund. These need to be matched with a photo ID, such as a passport or driver's licence, to pass the verification of identity checks under the new Anti Money Laundering rules.

Clients who are not directors of other companies will need to apply for a Director's Identification Number (DIN) via the Australian Business Registry Services. This is a government mandated requirement designed to cut down on phoenix operations as well as identity fraud.

Once these steps are completed, we are able to complete the following documents to meet all the ATO SMSF requirements for your Self Managed Super Fund Setup within 1-2 business days:

Work with the SMSF lawyers to complete the legal documents including the SMSF Deed, corporate trustee’ constitution and registry, and the optional binding death nominations for you to consider.

Organise the compliance documents including trustee minutes, member applications, ATO trustee declaration forms, and a template for an investment strategy for the trustees to complete.

We apply for your ATO Registrations. These are usually instant but, in some circumstances, the ATO can choose to investigate the application further and this will delay the process. There is absolutely nothing that can be done to expedite these, although delays are quite rare. Check out the ATO website for more information about registration application delays.

All funds need to have an Electronic Service Address to receive rollovers from existing super funds and receive employer contributions. This is something we setup for you and is included in our fees, the electronic service address for your new fund will be 'smsfdataflow'.

The final steps include:

Once the ATO registrations are available you will be able to set up a bank account for the fund. There are no restrictions on what bank you are able to use for the SMSF and we can help you to complete the setup with the most popular account being an ANZ V2Plus.

Once setup, we can prepare and submit rollover paperwork for any existing superannuation accounts you would like to roll over into your new SMSF.

Keep in mind:

• The ongoing ASIC fee will cost you $70 per year (ASIC tends to put up by a couple of dollars each year) from now on for the SMSF trustee.  This is payable by the SMSF to ASIC directly and is tax deductible.
• All companies have to have a "registered office" which is staffed 9-5 during standard work days for legal correspondence. This is a service we provide for all of our Corporate clients at no charge. This is the reason our office address will appear as the registered office address on your company documents.
• The SMSF deed will include Binding Death Benefit Nomination forms for all members.  These are used to stipulate what will happen to each member's benefit in the unfortunate event of their passing.  These are able to be completed at any time and updated as often as needed.

Why Use a Corporate Trustee for an SMSF?

For an SMSF setup we always recommend corporate trustees as they have numerous long term benefits for the members, including:

• Administrative ease of not having to change trustees on every piece of investment paperwork if one member of the SMSF dies or decides to leave the fund voluntarily such as in the case of divorce. This extra paperwork may seem trivial at first but working with a grieving family member needing to sign a large number of changeover documents is both expensive and stressful at a time in someone’s life where they least need further paperwork.
• Super funds cannot exist with a single individual trustee. Therefore for single trustee funds they must use a corporate trustee to be legally compliant. In the case of a fund with two individual trustees this means that the death of a trustee will render the fund non-compliant if only one spouse is left as trustee, again causing unnecessary issues.
• When new members, such as adult children, join the fund then there is no need to rename investments, etc.
• The cost is minimal as ASIC provides a discounted rate for corporate trustees of self managed super funds as special purpose companies which is currently $70 per annum.
• Due to these many benefits, combined with a trivial cost, we currently have no clients acting as individual trustees of their SMSF, and it is not an area we look to support.

How Much Does an Online SMSF Setup Cost?

The total cost of an SMSF Setup is $2,000+GST. This fee is all-inclusive of everything you need to get the fund ready to go including ASIC, legal fees, accounting and getting any existing funds rolled over.
In detail this includes:

• The ASIC (Australian Securities & Investment Commission) fee for setting up a company to act as the corporate trustee
• Class Super platform fee which includes the Electronic Service Address allowing the fund to receive rollovers
• The setup of the Registered Office Address which then incurs no ongoing charges and is included in our fixed annual fees
• Legal costs associated with the creation of the SMSF Deed and associated trustee paperwork such as the consents, constitution, minutes and optional binding death nomination forms. These are completed by our in house SMSF lawyer and can be customised depending on your needs at no additional charge
• ATO Trustee Declarations
• An SMSF Investment Strategy template
• ATO registrations including the ABN and TFN applications
• Accounting time to organise the transfer/rollover of any existing super accounts into the fund

From there you will have an annual fee to keep the SMSF accounting and tax returns up to date. For a detailed breakdown of the fixed, all inclusive annual fees please see our SMSF Pricing page. Keep in mind we do not provide any advice as to whether or not an SMSF is right for any particular client and operate solely as accountants, not as financial planners. Many accounting firms operate on this basis, and are still licensed by the Tax Practitioner Board as tax agents and the SMSF Association as SMSF Specialists. For more information about the accountant/planner distinction check out our page on the ASIC Licensing Regime.

Frequently Asked Questions About SMSF Setups

Can the entire SMSF setup be completed online?

The entire SMSF setup process can easily be completed online starting with our SMSF Setup form, a Zoom call as needed with one of our SMSF accountants followed by your documents being delivered digitally. These can either be signed via DocuSign or printed, signed and scanned at your discretion. From there we can help you to open a bank account by providing a bank pack to take to a bank of your choosing or for clients wanting an ANZ V2 Plus account we can setup the account for you with ANZ.

Can I establish an SMSF with only one member?

One of the advantages of using a corporate trustee is that there is no prohibition against starting a fund with only a single member. The way we structure the fund also makes it easy if you change your mind and decide to add additional members down the track.

Do SMSF members need Director Identification Numbers?

SMSF members who are also directors of the corporate trustee will need to have Director ID numbers. While normally all SMSF members must be a director, this is not possible in the case of children under 18, in which case the child will not need to be a director and will not require a Director's ID number. Director ID numbers are applied for directly with the government either inline using MYID or via the paper forms for clients who would prefer not to have digital IDs.

Does my SMSF need a separate bank account?

All bank accounts and investments must be setup in the full legal name of the Self Managed Super Fund, for example Cooper SMSF Pty Ltd as trustee for Cooper Super Fund. At no point can you use a personal bank account or a bank account in the name of another entity for the fund. We can help you setup the bank account with the institution of your choice.

What is an Electronic Service Address?

An ESA is a government mandated messaging service allowing superannuation funds to receive contributions or accept rollovers from industry funds. We include this cost in our setup process along with the time to organise the rollovers from all existing member funds. For more information about how an ESA works checkout our article on ESAs here.

How long does an SMSF rollover take?

The quickest rollovers take two to three business days but often industry funds will experience delays and take a week or more. For trustees who are in a rush we always recommend calling the funds directly as soon as we have initiated the rollover request to check they have all the information they need and are prioritising the request.

Can I leave some money in my existing super fund to retain insurance?

Absolutely, it is very common to do a partial rollover leaving a small balance in your existing superannuation accounts to keep the existing insurance products active. In circumstances where a client decides to do this it is important to check what your industry fund minimum balance and other rules are to keep the insurance product active.

What could cause my SMSF registration or rollover to be delayed?

The most common reasons for a delay at the registration stage is if you have ongoing issues with the ATO such as overdue lodgements, a compromised tax file number or have had a criminal conviction for fraud or other offences. The rollover delays are usually caused by industry funds having slightly incorrect details such as missing middle names, accounts being in maiden versus married names or other inconsistencies with your photo IDs.

What ongoing accounting, audit, ATO and ASIC costs apply?

Although you are not locked into using our services our ongoing fixed price packages start from $1,300+GST per annum. Separately you will be charged $70 per annum by ASIC for the Special Purpose Company at the annual anniversary of the setup. For the ATO each time we lodge a tax return for the fund they will charge you tax on the fund profits along with the ATO SMSF Supervisory Levy which is an additional $259 per annum (charged twice in the first year's return).

Last reviewed by Christopher Overton, SMSF Specialist Adviser, Chartered Tax Adviser and practising solicitor.
31 August 2026.